US2009068082A1PendingUtilityA1
Synthesis and characterization of a highly stable amorphous silicon hydride as the product of a catalytic hydrogen plasma reaction
Est. expiryJan 2, 2022(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Randell L. Mills
H01J 37/32192C23C 14/06C23C 16/30C23C 16/50C23C 16/4488C23C 14/0057
59
PatentIndex Score
0
Cited by
0
References
0
Claims
Abstract
This invention relates to a highly stable silicon hydride (SiH(1/p)) surface coating formed from high binding energy hydride ions. SiH(1/p) may be synthesized in a cell for the catalysis of atomic hydrogen to form novel hydrogen species and/or compositions of matter containing new forms of hydrogen. The reaction may be maintained by a microwave plasma of a source of atomic hydrogen, a source of catalyst, and a source of silicon.
Claims
exact text as granted — not AI-modified1 - 109 . (canceled)
110 . A silicon containing material comprising:
silicon and at least one hydrogen species, wherein said silicon and at least one hydrogen species form a silicon hydride that exhibits an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measured binding energy greater than 0.76 eV.
111 . The silicon containing material of claim 110 , wherein the hydrogen species is chosen from H n , H n − , and H n + where n is a positive integer, with the proviso that n is greater than 1 when H has a positive charge.
112 . The silicon containing material of claim 110 , wherein the hydrogen species is chosen from:
(a) hydride ion having a binding energy that is greater than about 0.8 eV for p=2 up to 23 in which the binding energy is represented by
Binding
Energy
=
ℏ
2
s
(
s
+
1
)
8
μ
e
a
0
2
[
1
+
s
(
s
+
1
)
p
]
2
-
πμ
0
2
ℏ
2
m
e
2
(
1
a
H
3
+
2
2
a
0
3
[
1
+
s
(
s
+
1
)
p
]
3
)
where p is an integer greater than one, s=½, π is pi, is Planck's constant bar, μ o is the permeability of vacuum, m e is the mass of the electron, μ e is the reduced electron mass given by
μ
e
=
m
e
m
p
m
e
3
4
+
m
p
where m p is the mass of the proton, α H is the radius of the hydrogen atom, α o is the Bohr radius, and e is the elementary charge;
(b) hydrogen atom having a binding energy greater than about 13.6 eV;
(c) hydrogen molecule having a first binding energy greater than about 15.3 eV; and
(d) molecular hydrogen ion having a binding energy greater than about 16.3 eV.
113 . The silicon containing material of claim 112 , wherein the hydrogen species is a hydride ion having a binding energy of about 3, 6.6, 11.2, 16.7, 22.8, 29.3, 36.1, 42.8, 49.4, 55.5, 61.0, 65.6, 69.2, 71.6, 72.4, 71.6, 68.8, 64.0, 56.8, 47.1, 34.7, 19.3, and 0.69 eV.
114 . The silicon containing material of claim 113 , wherein the hydrogen species is a hydride ion having the binding energy:
Binding
Energy
=
ℏ
2
s
(
s
+
1
)
8
μ
e
a
0
2
[
1
+
s
(
s
+
1
)
p
]
2
-
πμ
0
2
ℏ
2
m
e
2
(
1
a
H
3
+
2
2
a
0
3
[
1
+
s
(
s
+
1
)
p
]
3
)
where p is an integer greater than one, s=½, π is pi, is Planck's constant bar, μ o is the permeability of vacuum, m e is the mass of the electron, μ e is the reduced electron mass given by
μ
e
=
m
e
m
p
m
e
3
4
+
m
p
where m p is the mass of the proton, α H is the radius of the hydrogen atom, α o is the Bohr radius, and e is the elementary charge.
115 . The silicon containing material of claim 110 , wherein the increased binding energy hydrogen species is chosen from:
(a) a hydrogen atom having a binding energy of about
13.6
eV
(
1
p
)
2
where p is an integer,
(b) an increased binding energy hydride ion (H − ) having a binding energy of about
Binding
Energy
=
ℏ
2
s
(
s
+
1
)
8
μ
e
a
0
2
[
1
+
s
(
s
+
1
)
p
]
2
-
πμ
0
2
ℏ
2
m
e
2
(
1
a
H
3
+
2
2
a
0
3
[
1
+
s
(
s
+
1
)
p
]
3
)
where p is an integer greater than one, s=½, π is pi, is Planck's constant bar, μ o is the permeability of vacuum, m e is the mass of the electron, μ e is the reduced electron mass given by
μ
e
=
m
e
m
p
m
e
3
4
+
m
p
where m p is the mass of the proton, α H is the radius of the hydrogen atom, α o is the Bohr radius, and e is the elementary charge;
(c) an increased binding energy hydrogen species H 4 + (1/p);
(d) an increased binding energy hydrogen species trihydrino molecular ion, H 3 + (1/p), having a binding energy of about
22.6
(
1
p
)
2
eV
where p is an integer,
(e) an increased binding energy hydrogen molecule having a binding energy of about
15.3
(
1
p
)
2
eV
;
and
(f) an increased binding energy hydrogen molecular ion with a binding energy of about
16.3
(
1
p
)
2
eV
.
116 . A method of forming a silicon hydride that exhibits an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measured binding energy greater than 0.76 eV, said method comprising:
providing a vessel, a source of atomic hydrogen, a catalyst capable of providing a net enthalpy of m·27.2±0.5 eV where m is an integer or m/2·27.2±0.5 eV where m is an integer greater than one, and a source of silicon; forming atomic hydrogen in the plasma; reacting the catalyst with the atomic hydrogen to form lower-energy-hydrogen species, and reacting lower-energy-hydrogen species with silicon from the silicon source.
117 . The method of claim 116 , wherein said vessel comprises at least of the group of a microwave cell, RF cell, glow discharge cell, barrier electrode, or filament cell.
118 . The method of claim 116 , wherein the catalyst comprises at least one molecule selected from the group of C 2 , N 2 , O 2 , CO 2 , NO 2 , and NO 3 or at least one atom, ion, or excimer selected from the group of Li, Be, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Kr, Rb, Sr, Nb, Mo, Pd, Sn, Te, Cs, Ce, Pr, Sm, Gd, Dy, Pb, Pt, Kr, He + , Na + , Rb + , Sr + , Fe 3+ , Mo 2+ , Mo 4+ , In 3+ , He + , Ne + , Ar + , Xe + , H, H(1/p), Ar 2+ and H + , and Ne + and H + , Ne 2 *, and He 2 *.
119 . The method of claim 116 , wherein the catalyst is provided by the ionization of t electrons from a participating species chosen an atom, an ion, a molecule, and an ionic or molecular compound to a continuum energy level such that the sum of the ionization energies of the t electrons is approximately m·27.2±0.5 eV where m is an integer or m/2·27.2±0.5 eV where m is an integer greater than one and less than 400 and t is an integer.
120 . The method of claim 116 , wherein the catalyst is provided by the transfer of t electrons between participating ions; the transfer of t electrons from one ion to another ion provides a net enthalpy of reaction whereby the sum of the ionization energy of the electron donating ion minus the ionization energy of the electron accepting ion equals approximately m·27.2±0.5 eV where m is an integer, or m/2·27.2±0.5 eV where m is an integer greater than one and less than 400 and t is an integer.
121 . The method of claim 116 , wherein said net enthalpy is provided by the breaking of a molecular bond of the catalyst and the ionization of t electrons from an atom of the broken molecule each to a continuum energy level such that the sum of the bond energy and the ionization energies of the t electrons is approximately m·27.2±0.5 eV where m is an integer or m/2·27.2±0.5 eV where m is an integer greater than one.
122 . The method of claim 116 , wherein the vessel includes a microwave gas cell having a chamber capable of containing a vacuum or pressures greater than atmospheric, a source of atomic hydrogen, a source of microwave power to form a plasma, a catalyst capable of providing a net enthalpy of m·27.2±0.5 eV where m is an integer or m/2·27.2±0.5 eV where m is an integer greater than one, and a source of silicon.
123 . The method of claim 122 , wherein the silicon source comprises a solid or gaseous form of silicon, silane, Si n H 2n+2 where 1≦n≦100, siloxanes, or other silicon containing compounds.
124 . The method of claim 123 , wherein the silicon is vapor deposited onto a substrate in the presence of said energetic hydrogen atoms.
125 . The method of claim 122 , wherein the silicon source is supplied to the reactor by ion implantation, epitaxy, or vacuum deposition.
126 . The method of claim 124 , wherein the silicon source is deposited at a rate ranging from 1 Å/hr to 100 cm/hr.
127 . The method of claim 123 , wherein the formation of said silicon containing material occurs by vapor deposition of silicon in the presence of a catalyst-hydrogen plasma chosen from a helium-hydrogen plasma or an argon-hydrogen plasma, wherein He + or Ar + serves as a catalyst, respectively.
128 . The method of claim 116 , wherein the source of atomic hydrogen is molecular hydrogen and the source of silicon is silicon or a silicon compound.
129 . The method of claim 116 , wherein the catalyst is supplied from a gas chosen from neon, argon, helium, and mixtures thereof.
130 . The method of claim 116 , wherein said method is initiated by supplying a reaction gas mixture by flowing and mixing one or more of a catalyst gas, a hydrogen-catalyst gas mixture, a silicon compound gas, a hydrogen-silicon compound gas mixture, a hydrogen-silicon compound-catalyst gas mixture, and a silicon compound-catalyst gas mixture.
131 . The method of claim 130 , wherein the flow rate of the catalyst gas, hydrogen-catalyst gas mixture, silicon compound gas, hydrogen-silicon compound gas mixture, hydrogen-silicon compound-catalyst gas mixture, or silicon compound-catalyst gas mixture is about 0.0001-1 standard liters per minute per cm 3 of vessel volume.
132 . The method of claim 131 , comprising a reaction mixture chosen from a silane-helium-hydrogen mixture, silane-neon-hydrogen mixture, and silane-argon-hydrogen, wherein helium, neon, or argon is in the mole percentage range of about 50 to about 99%, and hydrogen and silane make up the balance.
132 . The method of claim 132 , wherein the reaction mixture comprises a plasma mixture comprising SiH 4 (0.1-5%)/He or Ne or Ar (90-99.8%)/H 2 (0.1-5%).
133 . The method of claim 132 , wherein the silicon compound is chosen from SiH 4 , Si 3 H 8 , disilane, and silane.
134 . The method of claim 116 , further comprising the step of collecting the silicon containing material in a trap.
135 . The method of claim 134 , further comprising the step of maintaining a pressure gradient from the reactor to the trap to cause gas flow and transport of the lower-energy hydrogen species or lower-energy hydrogen compound.
136 . The method of claim 116 , wherein the plasma includes the source of catalyst.Cited by (0)
No later patents cite this yet.
References (0)
No backward citations on record.